Kendra Daniels (center) and Morgan Ross (2nd from right) were repeat honorees on the national academic list.

Courtesy: Skip Hickey

Seawolves repeat as MPSF academic team champions

July 31, 2017

By UAA Media Relations

WOODLAND, Calif. – The Alaska Anchorage gymnastics program has earned its second straight Mountain Pacific Sports Federation academic team title and its third straight national top-20 finish as the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches (NACGC) recently released its 2017 Scholastic All-American team.

The Seawolves defended their MPSF Academic Team Championship from 2016 by carrying the top overall grade point average in the six-team conference at 3.5933. UAA, which became the first MPSF program to win a second MPSF academic team title, had the No. 16 GPA among the nation’s 82 NCAA women’s gymnastics programs. The Seawolves finished a program-best No. 7 in last year’s competition and No. 14 in 2015.

Requiring a minimum 3.50 cumulative or year-long GPA to qualify for individual recognition, UAA placed 10 of its 14 gymnasts (71%) on this year’s NACGC Scholastic All-American team. Only 12 schools across the nation, regardless of division, had a higher percentage of its total gymnasts earn the honor.

Southern Utah (3.8867) finished atop the 2017 team standings with a 3.8867 GPA.

Arbuckle and Ross were repeat honorees from last year, while Arbuckle, Ross, Mizell, Mancari, and Daniels were each named to the MPSF All-Academic team this past spring.

In addition to her perfect GPA from the 2016-17 academic year, Arbuckle also owned the second-best cumulative GPA amongst all MPSF Gymnasts (3.91). The junior all-conference honoree set career-highs in all five of her events this past year with a 9.7 or better on the vault, balance beam, uneven bars, and floor, along with a 38.350 in the all-around.

Ross earned three all-conference honors this past year, including the fourth-best floor average in program history (9.750). Daniels posted the fourth-best beam regional qualifying score in team history (9.775), while becoming the first Seawolf ever with four career beam scores of 9.825 or better. Mancari was a second-team All-MPSF honoree on beam, while Mizell delivered the best season in her career, particularly on vault in which she recorded the squad’s second-best season average (9.528).